Eco Fashion & Wellness: The Glossary
To make informed purchasing decisions and better understand the considerations of ethically or sustainably made fashion and wellness products, below is a working glossary of terms to provide insight into what is involved in the complete product manufacturing and marketing cycle. While we have attempted a comprehensive list, as the industry evolves, so will this list of terms.
Ahimsa silk: An alternative, non-harmful method of producing silk. Silk is woven by using empty cocoons rather than harvesting live moth pupae. The silk is spun after the silkworm metamorphoses into a moth and flies away, leaving its cocoon. This type of silk derives its name from the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain doctrines of peace and non-violence.
Bamboo Fabric: A natural textile made from the pulp of bamboo grass, it is considered sustainable because the bamboo plant multiplies and does not require the use of herbicides and pesticides to thrive. However, bamboo fiber is produced through the cellulosic process. Bamboo fabric retains many of the same qualities as a plant, including excellent wicking ability that pulls moisture away from the skin. It also possesses antibacterial qualities, reducing bacteria that often thrive on clothing, which causes unpleasant odors.
Bast Fiber: A natural fiber collected from the inner bark surrounding the stem of certain dicotyledonous plants. Most bast fibers are obtained from herbs cultivated in agriculture, including flax, jute, hemp, and ramie, but can also include wild plants. Fibers typically have higher tensile strength than others and are used for textiles like ropes, yarn, paper, composite materials, and burlap. While labor intensive, its production is considered more eco-friendly than the production of artificial fibers, which are petroleum based.
Beeswax: Apitoxin (bee venom), honey, bee pollen.
Biodegradable: All materials break down eventually, but some can take thousands of years and release harmful chemicals and substances. Biodegradable items, on the contrary, can naturally decompose (by bacteria, fungi, or other living organisms) in the environment and avoid pollution. Some brands may also use biodegradable packaging, one of the most eco-friendly packaging options. Other elements of biodynamic farming, he explains, include seasonal and annual crop rotation to keep the soil healthy, companion planting, no chemical pesticides, no genetically modified organisms and no synthetic fertilizer.
Biodynamic: The term itself means “life in motion and balance,” and is actually a farming practice developed in the 1920s. “The basis of biodynamic farming uses nature’s elements to grow crops with the harmony of the seasons and the alignment of the earth, the stars and the moon.
Biological Agriculture Systems in Cotton (BASIC): A program developed by the Sustainable Cotton Project to help cotton growers in California develop a working knowledge of chemical reduction techniques. BASIC offers strategies to save the grower money by reducing the need for insecticides, miticides, chemical fertilizers, and water.
Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP): A project launched in November 2008, BICEP offers an arena for business involvement to advance climate and energy policies created to counter global climate change risks and challenges. BICEP members firmly believe that a vibrant economy requires certainty derived from adequate and meaningful climate change regulation and ensures public investment in renewable technologies and environmentally sustainable jobs. BICEP members include Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., Timberland, Sun Microsystems, and Starbucks.
Carbon Emission: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a colourless, odourless and non-poisonous gas formed by combustion of carbon and in the respiration of living organisms and is considered a greenhouse gas. Emissions means the release of greenhouse gases and/or their precursors into the atmosphere over a specified area and period of time. Carbon dioxide emissions or CO2 emissions are emissions stemming from the burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement; they include carbon dioxide produced during consumption of solid, liquid, and gas fuels as well as gas flaring.
Carbon Emissions Trading: It is a method by which countries can meet their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon emissions and global warming, specifically for carbon dioxide emission, which currently makes up the bulk of emissions trading.
Carbon Footprint: A measure of human activity's impact on the environment in terms of greenhouse gasses produced directly or indirectly, measured in carbon dioxide units.
Carbon Neutral: A product or process that does not add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over its life cycle.
Carmine: a.k.a. cochineal, made from crushed cochineal beetles to make red pigment used in nail polishes, lip products, blushes, and eyeliners.
Casein: a.k.a. sodium caseinate or caseinate derived from cow's milk and sometimes used in conditioning hair products and face treatments.
Cellulose: A standard material of plant cell walls that naturally occurs in cotton fiber found in all plant material, including wood, leaves, and stalks. It is a principal constituent of paper, cardboard, and textiles made from cotton, linen, and other plant fibers. Acetate, lyocell, and rayon are cellulosic fibers because their components are made from natural cellulose and part chemical products.
Ceres: A national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups that works with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change. Its mission is to integrate sustainability into the capital market for the planet's and people's health.
Circularity: The circular economy, or circularity, is an economic model that follows the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The circular economy aims to retain the lifespan of products through repair and maintenance, reusing, remanufacturing, or upcycling. To summarize, circularity is about maintaining value and not creating waste.
Clean: Products free of toxins with ingredients collected from the best sources while grown and manufactured in sustainable environments.
Cleaner Cotton™: A for "California-grown Cleaner Cotton," which uses up to 73 percent fewer chemicals than conventional cotton and directly benefits the local environment.
Clothing Miles: The distance clothing and its various components travel from the field to the factory to the consumer's wardrobe. As most clothing and parts are manufactured overseas, transportation over such large distances produces considerable carbon emissions.
Closed Loop: A closed-loop cycle is a common term and it's very similar to circular. In fashion, it means that new clothes are made from preexisting clothes and textiles and returned to their full, original value. Once an item has fulfilled its use, it can be broken down through an environmentally sound process and turned back into yarn/fabric, and then recycled into another garment. This forms a "closed-loop," in that an item would have an eternal life cycle.
Cocona® Fabric: Fabric is created from patented technologies where recycled coconut shells are heated at high temperatures to activate carbon, then infused into cotton, polyester, or nylon fibers and used to create various garments, including shirts, pants, jackets, etc. The material is known to provide evaporative cooling, odor resistance, and UV protection, all while using environmentally friendly technologies.
Coir Fiber: A coarse fiber extracted from the fibrous outer shell of a coconut. Brown coir is harvested from fully ripened coconuts. It is thick, strong, and has high abrasion resistance. They are typically used in floor mats, doormats, brushes, mattresses, floor tiles, and sacking. See also "Natural vegetable fibers."
Collagen: Used in many anti-aging and lip-plumping products and derived from animal tissue, bones, or skin.
Conscious Consumerism: A movement whereby consumers decide on their purchase by buying ethical products, avoiding unethical companies, and sometimes not purchasing. A socially or environmentally conscious consumer will think about whether consumption is necessary. Once they decide to buy, they look at who is providing the product and how the product impacts each environment touched in its creation and delivery.
Corn Fiber: A biodegradable synthetic fiber produced with the lactic acid obtained through cornstarch fermentation. It is an entirely new synthetic fiber derived from plants instead of petroleum.
Cotton: A shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including the Americas, India, and Africa. It is a fiber often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, the most widely used natural-fiber cloth in clothing today.
Cruelty-Free: Cruelty-Free means that a product and its ingredients will not be tested on animals.
Deadstock Fabrics: Deadstock fabrics are textiles that are no longer useful for big factories or companies. There various reasons for deadstock fabrics. Sometimes the textiles no longer fit for the company´s designs. Sometimes there is an overstock of that particular design, the rolls might have slight damages, didn’t meet the initial color matching, or the simply the color is no longer in season.
Demetra: After several years of in-House research and development, Gucci launched Demetra—a groundbreaking new material that combines quality, softness and durability with an eco-friendly ethos. Demetra contains at least 70% of vegetable raw materials and from renewable sources (viscose, wood pulp, bio-based polyurethane). and has scalability.
Earth Pledge: Founded in 1991 in New York City, Earth Pledge Foundation collaborates with government, businesses, and communities to advance adopting sustainable practices. FutureFashion, one of several company initiatives, demonstrates that fashion can be sustainable. They are currently working with industry and the public to promote using renewable, reusable, and non-polluting materials and methods.
Eco: Of or relating to habitat or household, mainly used as an ecology-related prefix. e.g., eco-label, eco-friendly, eco-shopping. Within the textile industry, "eco" refers to fibers/fabrics that are sustainable or friendly to the environment.
Eco-friendly: A term used to describe services and goods that cause very little harm to the environment.
Elastin: Protein extracted from animal muscles, ligaments or aortas, often used in anti-aging products.
Emissions Trading: A proposed administrative approach designed to reduce pollution by providing economic incentives for reductions in the emission of pollutants. A government or international body will limit the amount of a pollutant that will be emitted. Companies or nations are issued emission permits that dictate a specified allowance for the number of contaminants they can emit. Upon exceeding their allowance, companies may purchase credits from companies that pollute less, rewarding those with excess allowances.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): An agency of the U.S government established in 1970 that protects human health while safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. The agency conducts environmental assessments, research, and education. It is primarily responsible for setting and enforcing national standards under various environmental laws in consultation with multiple levels of government. The agency also works with industries in various voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts.
Ethical Fashion: Ethical and sustainable focuses more on the social impact of the fashion industry. Ethical fashion goes beyond local labor laws and covers living wages, working conditions, animal welfare, and vegan fashion.
Ethical Consumerism: Involves purchasing products or services made ethically. Typically means minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals, and the natural environment. This is practiced through the positive buying of ethical products. This type of consumerism has led to a rise in green brands, which has increased interest in ethic-based decisions in the mass market, including more understanding and information about business practices.
Fair Trade: An organized social movement and market-based approach with the primary goal of helping developing countries to achieve better trading conditions and adopt sustainable practices. The movement advocates the payment of a fair price and placing social and environmental standards on producing a wide variety of goods.
Fast Fashion: Trend-driven clothing designed and manufactured quickly and inexpensively to both drive & satisfy consumer purchases.
Flax: A natural vegetable fiber that is soft, lustrous, and flexible. More potent than cotton fiber but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics, such as damasks, lace, and sheeting, while coarser grades are used to manufacture twine and rope.
FSC-Certified: If an item is FSC-certified, it means the fabric is made from tree fibers that come from sustainable sources – in that they do not originate from endangered or ancient forests. Rather, the fibers here come from well-managed forests and large-scale areas of conservation.
Fustic: This refers to a type of tree common in India, Africa, Europe, and Asia; the former is known as "Old Fustic" and produces a yellow dye. The latter is known as "Young Fustic," which creates a brown shade. See also "Natural Dyes."
FutureFashion: An initiative of Earth Pledge, FutureFashion helps the fashion and home furnishing industries transition to sustainable materials. The initiative guides designers, manufacturers, and distributors to help them transition to sustainable textiles and methods.
GOTS Certified: GOTS certified means that the item or the fabric has been certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). This German standard is one of the most difficult to obtain. It reviews the organic status of textiles from harvesting of the raw materials through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing all the way to labeling. It is recognized worldwide and helps provide credible assurance to the consumer.
Geothermal Power: Energy generated by heat stored in the Earth, or the collection of absorbed heat derived from within the Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. As a renewable energy source, it is competitively priced and reduces the reliance on fossil fuels and their price unpredictability.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): GOTS was instituted to unify organic standards within the industry, allowing manufacturers to market their products to different countries under a single certification acceptable in all major markets of the world.
Glycerine: a.k.a. Glycerin, glycerol (sometimes derived from animal fats for use in soaps, haircare, make-up, and moisturizers).
Green/Green Brand: Brands that consumers associate with environmental conservation and sustainable business practices. Products made to be less harmful or more sensitive to the environment. Typically when marketing a 'green' product, companies will use environmentally friendly, recycled, and recyclable material or reduce excess packaging.
Greenhouse Effect: Greenhouse gases trap radiation released by the Earth's surface, raising the temperature of the Earth's lower atmosphere and surface. It is a natural process that regulates the temperature of the Earth. In the last 200 years, humans have released much higher quantities of greenhouse gases (both natural and manufactured), trapping more heat in the atmosphere and becoming the primary driver of global warming. Greenhouse gasses include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, and perfluorocarbons.
Greenwashing: Refers to the promotion of green-based environmental initiatives or images without implementing business practices that minimize environmental impact (or any of the other adverse effects of their businesses). This practice often includes misleading customers about the actual benefits of a product through misleading advertising or unsubstantiated claims to "create a benefit by appearing to be a green company."
Hemp: A coarse fiber made from the inner bark of hemp. Used primarily in twines and cordages, and most recently, apparel. It is one of the sturdiest sustainable fibers grown naturally without pesticides and is excellent for moisture absorption, antibacterial properties, and ventilation.
Hypoallergenic: Made without ingredients that are likely to cause allergic reactions in vulnerable people. This label doesn’t guarantee that products are necessarily allergy-proof, gentler on the skin or made with natural ingredients
Indigo: A dye with a distinctive blue color. The chemical compound that constitutes the indigo dye is called indigotin. Historically, indigo played an essential role in many countries' economies because natural blue shades are rare. They are used in producing denim cloth for blue jeans.
Ingeo®: A polymer fiber made with 100% annually renewable resources, such as corn. Fabrics, made with Ingeo, look and feel like those made from natural fiber. But they have the performance qualities of a synthetic.
Jute: A vegetable fiber produced primarily from plant material cellulose and wood fiber lining. It is 100% bio-degradable and one of the cheapest fibers. It is the second-most important vegetable fiber, after cotton, in terms of usage and availability. Off-white to brown, it accepts cellulosic dyes.
Kenaf: Similar to jute. The stems produce two types of fiber, coarser wool in the outer layer (bast fiber) and finer yarn in the core. The main uses of kenaf fiber have been rope, twine, coarse cloth (similar to that made from jute), and paper.
Keratin: Comes from the hair and horns of animals, often found in strengthening nail and hair products.
Kumazasa Herb: A Japanese herb used to make a completely natural paper fiber that is highly renewable without chemicals and does not require chemicals to process and is used in the production of Sasawashi fabric.
Kyoto Protocol: An international environmental treaty intended to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations. Establishes a binding commitment to reduce six greenhouse gases produced by industrialized nations. Under the protocol, the countries have agreed to reduce their collective greenhouse gas emissions.
Lac: Once used as a natural dye, this is a resinous substance secreted by the lac insect onto the twigs and branches of certain trees (typically fig). Similar to cochineal and is commonly used in skin cosmetics and dye for silk and wool.
Lactic acid : Derived from milk products, used in anti-aging and moisturizing products.
Landfill: This is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment. Historically, landfills have been the most common method of organized waste disposal.
Lanolin: A waxy substance in sheep's wool, often used in lip and hair products.
Laser Technology: A textile treatment using laser machines to achieve a detailing or all-over effect in finishing a fabric, typically denim. The laser frequency is set to erode the indigo surface and alter the color or burn through. Exclusively used in the upper end of the denim market, laser technology is considered a more environmentally acceptable process than traditional denim finishing methods.
Linen: A textile made from the fibers of flax plants and valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. Linen fabric is highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, yet it remains cool to the touch. It is also the strongest vegetable fibers, with 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton.
Logwood: A dye and the tree from whose heartwood is derived. Preparation requires that the heartwood first be well-cleaned from the surrounding sapwood and bark. Then it must be rasped or planed into shavings, which are "aged" through a mild fermentation process. The rich, dark wood is then dried and packaged to avoid deterioration by moisture. Typically, the dye colors can be violet, purple, silver, grey, or black.
Low-Impact Dyes: Dyes bond chemically to fibers for more vital colorfastness than conventional dyes. The dyeing process uses less water and generates less wastewater runoff and contamination.
Lyocell Fiber: Fiber is made from the wood pulp cellulose of such hardwood trees as birch, oak, or eucalyptus and is classified as a fiber cousin to rayon. Shares many properties with other fibers such as cotton, linen, ramie, and rayon. Some main characteristics are softness, absorbance, strength, wetness or dryness, and resistance to wrinkles; it simulates a variety of textures like suede, leather, or silk. In the United States, it is manufactured by Lenzing, Inc. and marketed under the trademarked brand name Tencel®.
Madder: Vegetable red dye for leather, wool, cotton, and silk. Roots are harvested in the first year. The outer brown layer gives the typical variety of the stain, and the lower yellow layer is the cultivated variety.
Microplastics: Tiny pieces of plastic debris in the environment result from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste.
Mineral Dyes: Natural dye made from minerals, including ocher, limestone, manganese, cinnabar, azurite, and malachite.
Munjeet: A dye obtained from the roots of an herb plant grown in India; it is also known as Indian Madder. It produces a range of colors, from brick red to bright orange and burgundy.
Natural (Wellness): Made from natural ingredients with natural resources. May contain a percentage of plant-derived ingredients.
Natural Dyes: Dyes made from minerals, plants, or animals; otherwise obtained from natural sources. The most common types include Indigo, Cochineal, Lac, Logwood, Madder, Munjeet, Catechu, Brazilwood, Osage Orange, Fustic, Weld, Tannin, and Quercitron.
Natural Vegetable Fibers: Normally comprised of cellulose and include the following: Bamboo, Coir, Cotton, Flax, Hemp, Jute, Kenaf, Linen, Manila, Pina, Raffia, Ramie, and Sisal.
Nettle: A sustainable and organic fiber derived from a coarse, wild herb. It is naturally moth-repellant.
Non-Toxic: Defined as a product that “has been created without the use of any potentially toxic, carcinogenic, or poisonous ingredients that could be questionable in safety.”
Ochre: Any of several earthy mineral oxides of iron occurring in yellow, brown, or red and used as pigments.
Oleic acid: a.k.a. oleyl stearate, oleyl oleate, or tallow (animal fat, sometimes used in nail polish, soap, moisturizers, and make-up.
Organic: Products grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or hormones.
Organic Cotton: Cotton grown without pesticides from plants that are not genetically modified using crop rotation and biological pest control instead of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
Organic Cotton Exchange: Charitable organization committed to expanding organic agriculture, specifically focusing on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton. To support this goal, they bring together brands and retailers with their business partners, farmers, and key shareholders to learn about organic agriculture's social and environmental benefits and develop new business models and tools that support the greater use of organic inputs. In addition, they raise consumer awareness about the value of organic farming and the availability of products containing organic cotton.
Organic-Linen: An extremely durable, sustainable fiber that is made from the flax plant and grown without herbicides or pesticides.
Osage Orange: A large shrub native to central and southeastern United States, The roots and inner bark produce colors ranging from bright yellows to khaki green.
Ozone Bleaching: An alternative bleaching process used for finishing in denim manufacturing. Environmentally acceptable due to the lack of harmful chemicals, it requires a low quantity of water, and bleaching is achieved at room temperature in a relatively short time.
Palm Oil: An edible plant oil derived from the fruit of the Arecaceae Elaeis oil palm, it has surpassed soybean oil as the world's most widely produced vegetable oil. Social initiatives use profits from palm oil to finance poverty alleviation strategies. This rising demand for palm oil has cleared tropical forests to establish palm plantations.
Parabens: Parabens are a class of widely used preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Chemically, they are a series of parahydroxybenzoates or esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid.
Petrochemicals: Chemicals made from petroleum, coal, and natural gas. First synthesized in the mid-1800s, scientists created chemicals that could substitute for natural products. Typical family and industrial products are derived from petrochemicals, including plastics, soaps, detergents, drugs, pesticides, aspirin, furniture, and apparel.
Phthalates: These chemicals are salts or esters of phthalic acid. The esters are commonly used as plasticizers to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and increase plastic products' flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. Currently being phased out due to health concerns.
Piña: Fiber made from pineapple leaves. It is sometimes combined with silk or polyester to create a textile fabric. The end fabric is lightweight, easy to care for, and looks similar to linen.
Polarfleece®: Fabric made from recycled plastic bottles, first marketed in 1993 by Polartec® through Patagonia.
Polyester: Used in consumer apparel and home furnishings, rope, tire reinforcements, safety belts, and plastic reinforcements with high energy absorption.
Polylactic Acid (PLA) Fiber: A synthetic substance produced from the fermentation of plant sugars from corn and made into a fiber. Lightweight, hypoallergenic, and providing more UV protection than polyester, it uses about half the energy required to manufacture other synthetic polymers and is biodegradable, but production is not water efficient.
Positive Buying: Favoring ethical products involving fair trade, cruelty-free products, organic, recycled, reused, or produced locally.
Pre- and Post- Consumer: Pre-consumer waste is sometimes referred to as post-industrial and refers to manufacturing waste. A lot of recycled cotton, for example, is pre-consumer, as it's built from offcuts and waste from regular cotton production, then put back into the process to create more material. Post-consumer waste is what's collected after the owner has disposed of it and it's taken to recycling facilities to be processed. It's a complicated system, as waste needs to be entirely collected, purified, and processed.
Preservatives: A substance or chemical added to products such as food products, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints, biological samples, cosmetics, wood, and many other products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or undesirable chemical changes.
Quercitron: Yellow dye obtained from the bark of the Eastern Black Oak, a forest tree indigenous in North America. The pigment is prepared by grinding the bark in mills after it has been freed from its black outer layer and sifting the product to remove the fibrous matter, producing a fine yellow powder.
Raffia: Made out of its fibrous branches and leaves and used for rope, sticks, supporting beams, and roof coverings. The membrane on the underside of each leaf is used to create a long thin fiber that can be dyed and used for decorative ribbon for gift-wrapping or woven as a textile into products ranging from hats to shoes to decorative mats.
Ramie: Sustainable fiber, similar to flax, from the stalk of a plant. Three to five times stronger than cotton, extremely absorbent, and dries quickly. Often mistaken for linen.
Rayon: This manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber derived from the wood pulp of such trees as pine, spruce, or hemlock. It is considered a semi-synthetic fiber since it contains artificial and naturally occurring materials. It can imitate the feel and texture of silk, wool, cotton, and linen. It is easily dyed in a wide range of colors. Rayon fabrics are soft, smooth, comfortable, and highly absorbent but does not insulate body heat, making them ideal for use in hot and humid climates. It's known for its high luster quality.
Reclaimed Fabrics: To return to or bring into an acceptable condition for reuse. These fabrics are made from spinning room floor waste and made into mop yarns or other low-end industrial uses.
Recycled: Any material from a previous product reprocessed into a new product. Sources for recycling include any discarded material. It prevents valuable materials resources from being wasted and reduces the consumption of raw materials.
Recycled polyester: Polyester manufactured using previously used polyester items; created from used clothing and recycled plastic containers.
Renewable Energy: Energy generated from natural resources, including sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, is all renewable and quickly replenished.
Sasawashi: Sustainable fabric derived from a blend of Japanese paper and kumazasa herb. Saswashi is soft and similar to cashmere or Egyptian cotton but has a dry feel like linen. It does not pill or fuzz and is twice as absorbent as cotton. It is said to have natural anti-allergen and antibacterial properties.
Silk: A natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles, obtained from cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry. This process kills the larvae and is criticized by animal rights activists. "Wild silks" are produced by caterpillars other than the mulberry silkworm and cannot be artificially cultivated.
Shellac: Made from lac bugs, used in nail products and some hair lacquers.
Sisal: A cactus plant that yields a stiff fiber traditionally used in making twine and rope.
Slow Fashion: Slow Fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. It advocates the design, production, and purchasing of quality garments that will last longer; slower production schedules, reduced carbon footprints; use of sustainable materials.
Solution-dyed: A type of fiber dyeing where colored pigments are injected into the spinning solution before the extrusion of the fiber through the spinneret. Fibers and yarns colored in this manner are color-fast to most destructive agents. This process uses no additional water and reduces the pollution in dyeing.
Sorona®: Made with renewable resources instead of petrochemicals, Sorona® requires 40% less energy to produce than an equal amount of petrochemical-based nylon. Sorona® reduces CO2 emissions by up to 60% over an equal amount of petroleum-based nylon.
Soy Ink: Non-toxic and non-petroleum biodegradable based ink made from soybeans; environmentally friendlier than traditional petroleum-based ink.
Soybean Fiber: Known as "vegetable cashmere," soybean fiber is a sustainable textile fiber made from the residue of soybeans from tofu production. Soybean fiber has superior warmth retention, moisture transmission, and bacterial resistance; it is also soft, smooth, and light. Its cashmere-like texture has a silky luster and the same moisture absorption as cotton. Typically used for underwear, socks, scarves, sheets, and yoga/exercise apparel.
Squalene: Shark liver oil extract, commonly used in lip balms, deodorants, and moisturizers.
Stearic Acid: generally derived from pigs' stomachs, sometimes used in deodorants, soaps, hair products, and moisturizers.
Supply Chain: A sequence of processes involved in manufacturing a product. Comprise several steps, including the sourcing of raw materials, the conversion of raw materials into fiber and yarn, the conversion of yarn into fabrics, and the conversion of fabrics into garments. It is common for each stage to take place in different countries, making traceability can be challenging.
Sustainable Fashion: Sustainable Fashion, also called eco-fashion and ethical fashion, involves designing and manufacturing clothing, home furnishings, and other textile products in a sustainable manner that considers any environmental and socio-economic impacts. The goal is a system that respects the environment by causing minimal to no damage and promotes the ethical treatment of workers and social responsibility. Sustainable fashion involves:
All stages of the product's life cycle from design.
Selection & production of raw materials.
Manufacturing.
Dyeing/finishing.
Sewing/assembling.
Packaging/storing and transportation.
It includes using recycled materials and components, reusing waste, and carefully using natural resources like water, land, soil, plants, and animals.
Synchilla®: Produced by Polartec®, a leading supplier of fleece, and made from recycled plastic soda bottles, yarn scraps, and cuttings from fabric production. The fabric comprises 100% polyester, and 85% recycled polyester.
Synthetic Enzymes: Man-made biomolecules that spark chemical reactions.
Synthetic Fibers: Manufactured fibers that attempt to improve upon naturally occurring plant and animal fibers. Before synthetic fibers were developed, artificially manufactured fibers were made from cellulose derived from plants. Standard synthetic fibers include rayon, acetate, nylon, acrylic, and polyester. Specialty synthetic fibers include Lyocell and PLA.
Tannin: A bitter, astringent plant derivative commonly used for tanning animal hides into leather. Tannins produce different colors, including either blue, blue-black, or green to greenish-black.
Tencel®: Lenzing Fibers trademarked name for its lyocell fiber.
Traceability: The ability to trace products and their components back through each step of the supply chain, all the way to raw materials.
Transparency: The concept of transparency means openness without hidden practices; ongoing communications/relationships built on trust with an absence of hidden agendas; and public accountability for policies, products, decisions & actions, including being answerable for the resulting consequences. Eco-certifications by third- parties verify transparency & adherence to applicable standards.
Upcycling: Upcycling involves converting or repurposing old, worn, or discarded textile products into new products of a higher value/purpose. Upcycling helps reduce the over 12 million tons of clothing disposed of in landfills yearly.
Veganism: Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and is an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. In fashion, it means not using components like leather, wool, silk, cashmere, and angora, as all these fibers come from animals.
Vegetable Dye: Dyes derived from insects or from the Earth, including dyes made from plants and bark, which includes madder root, indigo, milkweed, pomegranate, Osage, cutch and cochineal. These also include natural dyes produced from berries, roots, and bark. They are not as color-fast as chrome dyes and have unusual shades of blue, green, and other colors. They contain no synthetic chemicals and tend to fade faster than chrome dyes due to their natural ingredients.
Vintage: Vintage clothing is widely classified as a garment that is 20 years or older. The life cycle of a vintage garment will often begin at a recycling clothing bank alongside newer items.
Water-Based Products and Finishes: An environmentally-friendly alternative. These products and finishes are nonflammable and odorless. They offer reduced exposure to toxic materials and help reduce environmental pollution. Water-based products are easy to clean and dry faster than other non-water-based products.
Weld: A plant that has been used as a source of a brilliant yellow dye. Weld is harvested by cutting and binding the flowering stalks together after the flowers are nearly finished blooming. Most of the dye is contained in the seeds.
Zero Waste Fashion: Zero waste fashion refers to items of clothing that generate little or no textile waste in their production. It is part of the broader Sustainable fashion movement. We can divide it into two general approaches. Pre-consumer zero-waste fashion eliminates waste during manufacture. Post-consumer zero-waste fashion generates clothing from post-consumer garments such as second-hand clothing, eliminating waste at what would normally be the end of the product use life of a garment.
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